Faith and Society

Intro

Good morning brothers and sisters, the latest census in Australia, and one of the most important data is that Christinality is again in decline, in ten years we decline from 61% to 44%. There are a lot to say about this data. But I guess officially we are now a minority, and very often we see society not particular nice to us. Just a few weeks ago, some feminist journalist again on ABC go on the attack of the champiancy program, say it’s offensive, arrogant and should be scrapped, of course along with SRE while it has been there for more than few hudrends years. In these constant attacks and hostility, and all the mess in society, you may wonder, as a Christian, how do we face it?

In some way, today, at this whole series we will talk about faith in the public square, how our believe in Jesus Christ connects with the outside world. Earlier this year, us pastors thought it would be good that preaching this time is not just one way God speaking to us, but also we asking questions to God. Just like what Habbakuk was doing. So we asked some of the leaders from this congregation about what topics they want to seek God’s will, so some of the leaders from Zone C, our youngest here said how their faith could engage with the society. Actually I believe each sermon we preach here is about our public faith, our internal affects our external. Say how we are to be a loving person affects how we engage with government with society. But I also understand our church and probably evangelicial faith from HK have a particular spiritual inhertiance. They are strong tradition of personal faith, personal evangelism, spiritual discipline, to read the Bible and do devotion. These are very important foundation of a faith, but in terms of social responsibility and how to respond to public square, we may not be as well equipped. And when all the political tensions that is happening in HK for the last few years, or the hostility of Australia public comes down, and what we taught about faith cannot handle all that is happening around us. Even if we withdraw into our little circle, the society is still coming at us.

And so today and the next three weeks, we are aiming to bridge that gap, we are aiming to seek God’s will and hear his voice. And I guess so we should say a few things before we embark this journey together. First, after I have prepared, maybe I will still let people down as it might be not you want to here, as God’s answer is often not what we want to hear. God’s solution to problems is not our solutions. So in a sense we might need to put our guard down, our opinions down and let God speak to this area of our live. Let’s all be humble and hear His word and follow His way. Second, this is just a journey that we are exploring together and it involves complexity and nuance, it involves being faithful to the Bible of not just one passage, but many. You might have questions, so continue discussion is encouraged. What we’ll do is to also encourage dialogue. After each sermon preach pastors are willing to take questions, as we further explore these topics. And third, let’s be gracious to each other. There are many opinion within our church on many topics, but let’s be humble to continue seek God’s will together, let’s agree on the central thesis of the Bible, and allow disagreement on peripah matters, Let’s pray:

Public Square is not neutral

Today we want to give everybody an overview, of the relationship between our belief and the society, the public square. The first point we want to explore today is that public square is not netural. And actually we should expect rage around it. The thing is, countries are not netural in terms of belief, public square is also never neutral. It is a battleground. The first passage we look today is Psalm 2 “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

As the church moves outward and engage in soceity, we must be prepared for battle. This passage talks about the cornoation of a new king, and may point to the Messiah. And from verse 1 to verse 3 here, it talks about before the king there is a period of destablization. We are not sure if the psalmers is talking about at the time of David, the most proeper time of Israel or when Israel has been removed. But clearly it talks about a time where nations rage, nation come together. They want to rebel the king. In verse 3, it says it wants to be themselves, out of God’s law and command. But when we think about this three verses, isn’t it true to most of the times in history. That there is these constant rage against the Lord. That in every generation there are those who rise up against the Lord. Rise up to rage against each other, rage against the God. But this does not only apply to country, but also instituations in the public square. In Australia, you feel that disdain in the media, academy, or courtroom roots in such rage. The arguments on social media depict this rage.

The thing is public square is a battleground of gods, the saints should expect the rage of nations to burn hot in the square . Some often argue, especially in our circle we can greet one another in the square on religiously netural terms,but actually every combatant will fight for his or her god’s brand of justice. Every time, All the time. The thing I don’t think we’re aware is that when we say seperation of church and state, when we retreat from the public square. Some people are saying put your God back into your own private house, don’t show it in the public, don’t talk about it in workplace, don’t talk about it in the internet. But when we are retreating, we are allowing another God to be promoted. And for now it is Secularism. One scholar said “Don’t be folled: secularism is a form of theoracy. It is very jealous for its own glory, command our worship and deamnds a set of ethics.” It is a faith that worships the self. The self-definition and self-expression . Through the classroom, the government, today they are very happy to enforce their version of moral and religious code. Their way of sexuality, their way about santificty of life, their way about justice. And unfortunately for us, we may even bent towards secularism, we ourselves may even worwship this self-definition and self-expression.

But Psalm 2 doesn’t stop with all the rage, it does not only talk about the power of the nations rage, but its futility. Psalm 2:4 “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” The psalm promises the victory and rule of Christ over every nation, public square, military and government Psalm 2:8-9 “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”” We come therefore with the word of the king of kings and judges of judges, and his word goes out to every nation, including ours: Psalm 2:10-12 “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” And we know, as we continue to read the Bible, that the Messiah here we are talking about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ will one day win over the whole society, the whole public scare. Jesus would be God’s son, will inherit all nations, all areas of public life. he will judge all the earth, all areas of society and those who take refuge , those who serve in Him, will be blessed.

As we go out to this society, what if we really convinced that both we will have trouble in this world and that Jesus has already overcome this world, as he promised. Might we present a strange but winsome confidnce that is not desperate to win the culture wars, but also tenderly and courrgeously committed to the good of others. Until Christ returns, the nations will rage and plot in vain. We, meanwhile, point ot he lOr dand to his Anointed, both in word and deed. All the time people say we’re on the wrong side of history. We’re on the right side of history so long awe stand with the Lord of history.

I guess to close out this point we need to think:

Are we not expecting the rage that is going on? are we not expecting battle? Help us be alert.

Are we still worshipping Jesus, putting him first? In this battle we are losing? Help us repent.

Once we know that public square is not netural, we want to fight, we want the government to fight for us, fight for us about our public, but government is not a saviour, government is not our saviour. Government is a platform builder.

Government is not a Saviour

To help us think about government, we need to think about the three purposses of government. And all three is to be hinted in the opening chapters of Genesis. Especially the Noahdic covenant. While it does not directly say anything directly government, but it provides a infant framework of how government functions. As we know God created Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth. He made them kings and queens in order to make creation flourish and thrive. But they rejected God’s plan, sin comes into the world, shown in Cain murdering. Therefore, for Noah and his family, God repeated the commission he gave to Adam and Eve, to fill the earth, but yet he limited their dominion.

Let’s look particular at Genesis 9:5-6 “And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

Government is not something human beings have created and contracted. God is the initiator of rule on this earth. What does God require here, a reckoning. So the first ahd most immediate purpose of the government is to render judgement for the sake of justice. The reckoning here requires parity: life for life. The implication is that lesser crimes should also be punished with matching penalities. At the end of the day it is about justice. It gives a government the right to defend its citizen from foreign invaders, it gives them right to imprision people for life when they take life from others. Somehow this NOahdic covernment sets the stage of government first purpose. Government should protect their citizens from threats. THey should punish the Cains when they kill the Abels. The should uphold the value of everty single human life, young and old, rich and old, minority and majority. In a way, it limits the sin was destorying the whole society, it renders justice.

But then they don’t render judgement of thier own sake. The goal is to build a platform of peace, order or even somehow flourishing . but when we look again at Genesis 9:1 “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” The authority that GOd gave to shed blood for blood facilitates the larger enterprise of filling the earth and ruling over it. Government establish peace, order and some measure of flourishing so that people can fulfill God’s greater dominion mandate. While that is the main goal, we might get to all sorts of arguments of how? The bible didn’t detail but said it requires wisdom, and wisdom from God.

But a government ultimately is not guarantee peace and order, but to set the stage of redemption. Genesis 9 set the stage of God callin gAbarahm in Genesis 12, inauguratin the bible’s great storyline of redemption. God first build a platform and sets the stage of God’s saving work. God in multiple books determined the allotted periods and boundaries of nations, and when those nations will rise and fall. WHy? That there might be a platform for sustaining human life that people might seek him.Why should Christians care about good governmetn. Immediately for the sake of justice. Ultimately, so that there’s a platform for slavation. Listen to Paul’s request for prayer:

1 Tim 2:1-3 “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,” Note connection between the king, a peaceful life, and salvation. Paul said to pray for good governments, which provide peaceful and quiet lives, which allow people to share the gospel and build churches. Christians should care about and pray for good governmetn because they provide a platform, a peaceful life so that we could see Christ

Comcluding all three purposes. Don’t put too much hope in government. But don’t give up on it either. Churches need good government. A culture and its political institution might turn against Christinality, but CHristian should strive to make an impact as long as they have opportunity. Sometimes I feel that it is so hard to talk about this within the church is that our identity ties to our nation, to our government more than we identify ourselves with Jesus. And we asked what a government cannot do, to change people’s heart, to bring slavation to people.

So I guess the question here we ask ourselves

Have we been trusting our government, or requiring the government what we should trust from Jesus, require from our Lord?

Is our mouth and our thoughts promoting Christ, or promoting a particular government or ideology? Let’s put our trust in Jesus, God’s kingdom, but at the same time pray and engage with our government, so that they could work out their purposes.

So the public square is raging, government is not a saviour, what should CHristian respond, how should Christian respond. which leads us to the third point,

Christians are not cultural warriors

Let’s end with one of an odd passasge in Matthew’s gospel. I have already spoken about Matthew’s gospel where Jesus said to render to Cesar what is Cesar’s when asked about praying taxes. Do you know the other text in Matthew that refers to taxes. It’s in Matthew 17:24-27 “When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

It is a slightly confusing text. The tax collectors asked if Jesus planned on paying the two-drachma tax, which is the tax used for the upkeep of the temple. Yet Jesus extended the lesson beyond the temple by reffering to the kings of the earth. Then he said two different things to Peter. On the one hand, Jesus said that the son of the kingdom are free. That is Jesus himself, he is the son of God. In some way, we are also son and daughters of the God. We actually also should not be bounded by the rules of the temple, the kings, or the kingdoms of this world since this world order will soon pass away. ON the other hand, Jesus did not wish “to give offense”. The present rule of the temple, as well as the kingdoms of this world, was established by GOd. they sre legitimate. So he told his disciples to pay the tax, not from the donation from others, but from a fish. How do we put these two hands together.We need to recognize the overlap of two ages: the age of the fall with its instutions and the age of new creation with its institutions. As CHristian, we live in both ages.

Here’s an illustration from an ethicist. THe Soviet Union, which was falling apart through the year 1991, was formally pronouced dead on December, 1991. Imagine that it is October 1001, and you’re an official of the up-and-coming Russian government. An official of the old Soviet regime asks you to do something, and you think to yourself. That’s ridiculous. NOnetheless, you don’t want to show open contempt for the prseent regime, because it will create unnecesasary trouble. Plus, you feel utterly confident that power will soon change hands and that you’re be running things in a month or two. The older order is vanishing, a new one is coming. Jesus too, knew that the present authorities of this world had no future. Therefore, he didn’t need to respond with obedience or angry defiance, that’s why he got a coin from the fish.

Different times ask for different postures of Christian as they engage with the scoiety. In most time, it is not good to totally disengage with society. We churches by being netural to everything means we endorese evil and unjust political status quo. But the other extreme, by wordly engagement. It stood up with good things, but its langauge tended to be apocalyptic and harsh. It communicates that we’re really just a branch of a party. It says that GOd is not so big, after all. In Some way hiding underneath is utopianism believing that perfect justice is psossible in this world and that we can bring heaven on earth now. It overestimates what can be done in this world and so forces its way. And that’s why we’re not culturae warriors. There are times CHristians have to fight, when confronted with danger and injustice. Yet the picture Scripture offers is less cultural warrior and more abassador. Abassdors know how to fight and be diplomatic. They’re not jus ttrying to win a war, they are trying to represent a whole other kingdom. So how do we practice this truth. Have just been thinking two things:

1. Practice love and justice in church

If the churdch’s most powerful political testimony is being the church, you should involve in one. SUbmit your discipleship to a congregation oversight and fellowship. Partake of those signs of kingdom citizenship, baptisam and Lord’s supper. Lear everything that Jesus commanded under biblical preaching. Following repetenace and faith, the political life beings here. I guess when we fight for traditional marriage, do we love spouse self-sacrifically, cherish them as our own body. When you talk about welfare reform, do you give needy in our congregation. When we lament structure injustice, do we work against them in your own congregation, when we proclaim all lives matter, do all your friends in church look like you? In a world that expands oneself, think about ourselves, blaming others all the times, do we scrafice for each other, we look at others good more than us. Isn’t that the most powerful thing to say to the society now?

2. Practice convictional kindness

As as we look out and engage out, we should act according to our conviction, but we do so kindly. With the society that we are beocming increasing marginalized, we stand firm of what the bible teaches us, we value what Jesus values, we do it kindly, to speak truth in love, and when it costs us,we continue to understand the cost of following Jesus. We are not afraid because we are the abassdors of the most high God. This is the challenge – and the opportunity – for the Christian churches. It’s not that we have to become more secular, or more cool. Our aim should not be to “win” the soceity, but to be more like Jesus Christ.

Still remember that day Liberal party called our church, back a few years we there is a referumdum of same sex marraige. They were planning to bring a few politicians to our church. You know I just became a pastor the first year and don’t know what to do. So I said yes, we’re a church that welcomes everyone, though I know they were just probably asking for votes. Thinking back, I think by GOd’s grace we have use this oppriotunity to show his love even to these guests. As they have security and everything, we said we would have them upstairs so it would not distrub the worship. We didn’t ask them to give a talk as we don’t want to show our church side with a political party. But after church, we provide time for conversations, some brothers and sisters voice out their concern regarding same-sex marraige, as well as refugees problems at that time, in alignment with what they believe in God’s will. But I guess most importantly, all these politicians both Peter Dutton, the and John Alexandar was sitting there preached to, and have to listen to my bad translation, the sin in humans heart, the love of Jesus and power of Gospel, and the resurrection power of our God.

As the nations keep raging, we know it’s not going to be easy as Christians to continue to engage with soceity. None of us knows what’s ahead with Australian, with HK. THe battle might grow fierce. It might improve. We do know the nations will rage agianst our GOd and aginst his Anionted. Yet the political hopes of the church remain unchanged, untroubled, untouched. After all, our life is a supernatural life, our work is a supernature work. If there is hope for the nation, it is through the witness and work of churches. Our congregations have the opportunity to live transformed lives as a transformed culture fir God’s glory and neighb ours good. Let’s pray.